| Instructor: | Dr. Richard E. Strauss, Biology 518, Rich.Strauss@ttu.edu |
| Office hours: | 2:00–3:30 W, or by appointment |
| Lecture: | 1:00–1:50 MWF, Biology 106 |
| Lab: | 2:00–4:50 M, Biology 505 |
| Lab instructor: | Curtis Stennett |
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| Complete course syllabus | Lecture notes | Laboratory | Exams | Grades |
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Course news
Watch here for any breaking news or information about the course. In the unlikely event that I will be unable to make it to a class because of sickness or other emergency situation, I will send an email message to all students via the TechSIS system, but will also put a notice here.
5/9/07: All final grades were posted to the course web page and to TechSIS last evening (5/8). The weights for the various components of the course, as described in the lecture and lab syllabi, were as follows: For the lab, the assignments counted as 40% of the total lab grade, the practical exam was 40%, and the paper & presentation was 20%. For the paper & presentation, the paper counted as 75% and the presentation as 25%. For the final course grade, the lecture exams counted as 60% and the lab as 40%.
5/3/07: Pdf files for the final series of lectures (phylogenetics) have been posted on the lecture web page. I apologize for the delay -- I thought that I had done that earlier. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, at 1:30 pm in room Biol 106.
4/27/07: Pdf files for the graduate-student talks have been posted on the lecture web page. For the class on Monday, 4/30, go to the lab (505) rather than to the lecture hall at 1:00.
4/12/07: The class will not meet on Friday, 4/13.
3/21/07: The second lecture exam will be given on Wednesday, March 28th.
2/15/07: Monday's lab (2/19) will cover both the bony fish skeleton and perch dissection (thus combining the next two weeks into one). Handouts for both topics are available for downloading from the lab web page.
2/8/07: Because several people have told me that they experienced difficulties in printing the full-color "Catch of the Day" pdf files, I've added 2/page handout-style pdf files. Also, if hyperlinks on these web pages aren't working for you, try hitting the "refresh page" button on your web browser. If the hyperlink still doesn't work, send me an e-mail describing the problem.
2/5/07: The first lecture exam is Monday, Feb 12th. Old copies of exams (without answers) have been posted to the exam web page (hyperlink above). Note that those exams are intended to illustrate the structure of the upcoming exam, not the content. I have added chapters 12-13 to the required readings from the text.
2/2/07: The laboratory web page is now available (hyperlink above). Handouts for the first several lab sessions are available for downloading.
2/2/07: The handout "Important Orders and Families of Fishes" was revised and reposted.
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Description and objectives
The purpose of the course is to review the morphology and ecology of the major fish groups in the context of their evolutionary and adaptive history. The main goals of the lectures are to provide the basic information necessary to interpret morphological similarities and differences among species in relation to their systematic and evolutionary relationships, distributions, and modes of life. The purpose of the laboratory sessions is to provide hands-on experience with representatives of important groups of marine and freshwater fishes, to learn how to construct and use taxonomic keys, and to reinforce some basic principles in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on behavior, age and growth, and life history. The lectures and laboratory sessions are independent and the material covered is not synchronous.
Textbook
Moyle, Peter B. and Joseph J. Cech. Fishes: an Introduction to Ichthyology (5th edition). Prentice Hall, 672 p. ISBN 978-0131008472.
There will be three lecture examinations and one laboratory examination, the dates of which are specified on the lecture and laboratory schedules. In addition, unannounced quizzes may be given in the laboratories at any time. The final (third) lecture exam will be cumulative; however, most questions (about 70–80%) will be derived from the latter third of the course.
The purpose of lectures is to provide a context for the more detailed information presented in the text, as well as to provide occasional supplemental material. Thus, lecture exams will include information from both the lectures and the textbook, although emphasis will be on lecture material. Each lecture exam will consist of 60 equally weighted questions (40 multiple-choice and 20 short-answer). I will supply “scantron” test forms; you need only bring a pencil. Copies of exams from a previous semester (with answers) will be available on the course web site.
Make-up exams (but not quizzes) will be given only in the event of serious illness, legitimate emergency, or death of immediate family members; in each case, written evidence must be provided to the instructor. Make-up lecture exams consist of essay questions. Because laboratory exams involve hours of preparatory time, it will generally not be possible to make them up.
Cheating to any degree will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely. I realize that grades are very important in our educational system and that a university is a highly competitive environment, but please do not risk your grade, reputation, and career by falling prey to this temptation.
Although this is not an official “writing-intensive” course, development of writing skills is important. Therefore several written reports will be required of all students as part of the laboratory portion of the class.
In addition, a separate review paper, on a topic mutual agreed upon by student and instructor, will be required of graduate students for graduate credit. Each graduate student will present a short talk on this topic (15–20 minutes) toward the end of the semester.
The final course grade for undergraduate students will be calculated on the basis of lecture-exam scores (60% of the final grade) and the laboratory grade (40% of the final grade). Grades will be posted on-line as they become available.
The final numerical grading scale is the conventional one: A = 90–100, B = 80–89, C = 70–79, D = 60–69, F = 0–59. However, final numerical grades will be curved upward from total lecture and lab scores if the class average is less than 75. Numerical grades will not be curved downward if the class average is greater than 75.
There will be no opportunity for “extra credit” to improve grades that have already been earned. Bargaining for grades (e.g., “I need a B because…”) will not be tolerated. The only way to achieve the minimum grade that you require is to study for exams.
Attendance is not required, but is strongly encouraged. Although I provide partially complete lecture notes on the course web site, many questions on the exams will concern details that I go over in class but that are not explicitly mentioned in the lecture notes. In past semesters there has been a notable correlation between frequency of attendance and the final course grade. You will find yourself at a serious disadvantage if you do not come to class.
Although attendance in lectures will not be recorded, it is your responsibility to acquire and understand the material presented in class, which usually will complement that of the textbook. Because of the large size of the class, if you miss a lecture you will have to rely on classmates to supply you with notes and with any announced changes in readings or schedules. However, it is understood that no student is obligated to share notes or other information with any other student.
Only a single unexcused absence from laboratories will be permitted. More than one unexcused absence will result in a zero grade for the lab, and the material covered will not be counted on the corresponding lab exam.
Disabling conditions: Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services office at 335 West Hall or 806-742-2405.
Religious holidays: Any student who will miss class days or exams because of recognized religious holidays should notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester so that alternative arrangements can be made.
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